Retro going, going, gone

At last dear readers we turn the final pages of Storage, A House and Garden Book, Melinda Davis, Pantheon Books, New York, 1978. I’m sad to be finished. It was an interesting look at retro rooms that at times didn’t appear all too retro. It just goes to show that good design is timeless (and bad design a giggle many years on). I would truly move into the first home in a heart beat and the second, the bedroom, is spot on for the latest rustic southern European look sweeping blogs and magazines. Even the vintage TV is a hot collector’s item! There is the strangest fireplace that has me shaking my head. I think it’s the gold leaf ceiling and I think I like it! So retro lovers and loathers which ones push your buttons?

Debra says:

June 1, 2010

I remember those days so well, those leggy plants, the bentwood chairs and my least favorite, the basket as art on the wall. That fire pit thing reminds me of the movie "Sleeper" with Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, one of my favorites.

The bentwood chairs with all the plants – I loved rooms like that in the 70s, and still do. When I look at them now they conjure up memories of good times, perhaps slightly accentuated by the addition of mind-altering substances (hey – it was the 70s!), but happy and relaxed for sure.

oregonbird says:

June 1, 2010

We seem to have learned, over the years, to put books where they can be reached. Which is nice — just in time for books to become semi-obsolete. Isn’t that always the way? There are some colors of green that must be lost in the mists of time; the 8th picture up is a prime example. But we need to explore the possibilities of burnt orange and purple! A mysterious and strangely adult combination. And while the print and furniture of that gypsy caravan-looking room are horrible, I really, really like the idea behind the bad execution; I’d try it using Spanish furniture.

The only thing that that mod fireplace needs is to be surrounded by deep shag rug, rather than a rock floor. Yes, yes, I know. I don’t care. Shag rug.

Sarahj says:

bungalowbride says:

June 2, 2010

It’s funny how so many of the rooms are only held back in the past by their textiles. Oregonbird, I’m totally with you on that gypsy library. & Priscilla, it isn’t just you – that screaming yellow is clinically proven to incite madness.